Microsoft was too busy adding emoji and trying to compete with the rise of WhatsApp, FaceTime, Snapchat, and Facebook Messenger that it had fallen short on the very basics of Skype. It had gotten to the point, in 2016, where people were using Skype begrudgingly, simply because it was ubiquitous and nothing had replaced it yet.

Learn how to transition from Skype to Microsoft Teams before the service shuts down on May 5, 2025, including steps to export messages and contacts.

“Skype calls have excellent sound quality and are highly secure with end-to-end encryption,” Skype’s homepage read in 2004.

To encourage this transition, Microsoft will soon allow users to sign in to the free version of Teams with their Skype username and password. By using the same credentials, users will be able to access their existing chats and contacts if they want to pick up where they left off.

Microsoft is shutting down Skype, the internet-based phone and video service that was once the dominant way of staying connected in the mid 2000s.

This morning, Microsoft has confirmed to Ars that it's true. May 5, 2025, will mark the end of Skype's long run.

Microsoft said that users will have the choice to either move to Microsoft Teams for free, or export their data from Skype.